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Cashner aids rotation case in Padres' loss

Starter allows one run on three hits in 2 2/3 innings; Medica goes deep

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Cashner says he'll be ready 2:45

Padres pitcher Andrew Cashner says he'll be ready to start or relieve when the 2013 regular season begins on April 1

By Corey Brock
/
MLB.com |

PEORIA, Ariz. -- Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford had three hits and drove in a run on Wednesday as the Giants topped the Padres, 6-4, in a Cactus League game at the Peoria Sports Complex.

Crawford had two singles and then doubled in a run in the fifth inning.

San Diego pitcher Andrew Cashner bolstered his candidacy for the No. 5 spot in the Padres' rotation, as he allowed one run on three hits in 2 2/3 innings. He struck out four and walked one.

"He finished better than he started," Padres manager Bud Black said of Cashner. "Then he got it together. It just took him a while to hit his spots."

San Francisco starting pitcher Chad Gaudin allowed two runs on seven hits in three innings. He finished with two strikeouts and no walks.

Both teams had lineups largely comprised of Minor League players.

First baseman Tommy Medica homered, and outfielder Everett Williams had two hits for the Padres. Travis Jankowski, who was the 44th overall player taken in the 2012 Draft, had an RBI single in his first at-bat.

San Francisco second baseman Brock Bond, who had an RBI single in the first inning, left the game with a strained abdominal muscle.

George Kontos, the third pitcher of the game for the Giants, struck out two of the three batters he faced in the sixth inning.

Up next for the Padres: The Padres are off Thursday but return to the Peoria Sports Complex for a game against the Mariners at 7:05 p.m. PT on Friday, live on MLB.TV. Tyson Ross, a candidate for the No. 5 spot in the starting rotation, will get the start and is set to go six innings. Ross hasn't allowed a run in his last 11 1/3 innings, with six hits allowed and 10 strikeouts in that stretch. He's battling Freddy Garcia, Tim Stauffer and Anthony Bass for the last spot in the rotation.

Corey Brock is a reporter for MLB.com. Keep track of @FollowThePadres on Twitter. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.